Air is a blessing, and ventilation a necessity, especially for houses that have attics. Attics are a hotbed for mold growth, water leakage, and many other damages. However, you can easily prevent these damages by ensuring some ventilation in your attic.
How, you might ask? Airflow, of course! Air is not just a human necessity. It allows for good things to grow and makes sure that the bad things don’t have room to grow. You would truly be surprised by how much air ventilation actually helps keep a house clean and mold safely.
Many people neglect ventilation when it comes to house maintenance. If you want to ensure that your ventilation is up to date, keep reading, and you’ll find all you need to know about attic ventilation fans and more.
Do Attic Ventilation Fans Work?
Yes, they do. Many homes today have a built-in attic ventilation system. This system allows cool air to enter the attic through the vents in the eaves. Once the air is inside, the vent heats it and allows it to rise and exit through the roof vents. Once the air leaves, it creates a negative pressure that sucks in the cool air below.
This ultimately creates a self-repeating ventilation process that blows hot and humid air out while keeping the cool air inside. The homes that don’t have this system built-in can use attic ventilation fans.
These fans are more energy-efficient and won’t cause any increase in your electricity bill either. Many ventilation fans are solar powered and require no wiring at all, plus they operate themselves, which is tons better than in-built ventilation systems.
What Is An Attic Ventilation Fan?
Attic ventilation fans or attic fans are systems that regulate heat. They work like gable fans and make sure that the heat level within the house is perfectly maintained. They do this by expelling the hot air outside. The attic ventilation fans also have their thermostat, which works automatically. This means the fan turns off and on by itself rather than manually, depending on the house’s temperature.
What Does Attic Ventilation Do?
As we’ve said before, fresh air in an attic space is important. Attic ventilation fans help us do that by making sure of the following things:
Provide A Balanced VentilationBalanced ventilation occurs when there are an intake and an exhaust of airflow in equal amounts. This is intake and exhaust create a balanced push and pull of air through the roof. The push and pull allow warm air to go out and cool air to spread out within the attic.
Without this process, hot air will stay within the attic and keep stagnant and stale air within the house.
- They Keep Cooling Costs Low
You know how when warm air is in any part of the house, it eventually reaches the attic? Well, once that happens, if you don’t have an attic ventilation fan, then the air will get stuck there. If that happens, no matter what you do, you’ll never be able to cool down your house properly.
Many people invest in ACs at this point, but that is quite expensive, and attic ventilation fans do the same job at a much lower rate.
- Prevent Condensation From Cold Weather
In the winter attic, surfaces can often condense. This means that moisture builds up, and the attic roof can mold up, swell and even develop rot. Attic ventilation fans prevent this from happening and keep the attic safe in all weather conditions.
Does My Home Need Attic Ventilation Fans?
Yes, they do. If your house has an attic, then it needs an attic ventilation fan. Like we’ve said before, the ventilation fan helps by pushing out the hot air and brings in cool air from the outside. This process helps keep the house cool and also balances the inner house temperature.
Many homes have passive attic ventilation systems. These systems use gable fans, and as we’ve said before, yes, they work. However, they are manually operated and require more energy. A better option in this scenario is using attic ventilation fans. They’re solar-powered and require little to no energy. Another plus point is that they are automatic.
When Should You Use An Attic Ventilation Fan?
The answer to this question is, Always. It would help if you always used attic ventilation fans. They are extremely useful and would solve many problems in your house, especially the ones probably building up in your attic.
However, if you still want to avoid their use, here are certain instances where you should be making use of an attic ventilation fan:
· When attic insulation is less than R-19
· When your attic floors are thoroughly air sealed and allowing absolutely no airflow
· When you have a lot of soffit ventilation space
· When you have HVAC equipment in the attic, and they are well-insulated and sealed
Pros And Cons Of Attic Ventilation Fans
If you still aren’t sold on attic ventilation fans, here are some pro’s and con’s to help you make your decision on them:
Pros:
- They run on solar energy: attic ventilation fans today are solar-powered. This means they are power by the sun and you don’t need to spend extra on their electricity usage. It also has the bonus of being extremely great for the environment.
- The attic space is cooler: Another amazing advantage is that they easily cool down the attic. They are the best way to keep your home cool and free of any moisture, mold, mildew, leakage, dust, and dirt.
- Infinitely less expensive: If you are buying solar-powered attic ventilation fans, then you’re in luck. These attic fans help reduce the bills by working on solar power. They also have very minimal costs in installation in comparison to other attic ventilation systems.
- Remotely operated: The solar-powered attic ventilation fan can easily be remotely operated. You don’t have to trudge up to the attic every day to turn it on. You can easily keep an eye on it through your smartphone connection. You can also set it on auto-pilot. This way, the air ventilation fan will know when to slow down and when to speed up.
Cons:
- Expensive alternative to motor-powered fans: Solar-powered attic ventilation fans are more expensive than regular motor-powered fans. If you’re short on money, then the motor-powered fan might be more beneficial for you. It will help save you on installation costs for an attic fan, although motor-powered fans are not a long-term solution.
- They need the sun: If you don’t live in an area that gets many suns, then these fans are not worth your time. The solar-powered attic ventilation fans need the sun to operate. If they don’t get the sunlight, then they don’t have enough energy to power the fans.
- Not as powerful as motor-powered fans: Last but not least, motor-powered fans are stronger than attic fans. These fans work on electricity and can pull on electrical energy to work double-time in keeping the attic cool. While attic fans, on the other hand, gradually make the temperature of the attic better. They aren’t a quick solution like the motor-powered fans are.
Looking at both pros and cons, the advantages of the attic ventilation fans outweigh the disadvantages. They might not be a quick solution, but they are certainly better long-term. Plus, unlike motor-powered fans, they are automatic and don’t need any manual control all the time.
This means you won’t have to trudge up to the attic every day to turn the fan on and off. You can rely on your attic ventilation fan to successfully keep the balance of temperature in your attic.
Attic Ventilation Fans Alternatives – What You Can Do Since Attic Ventilation Fans Don’t Work
If attic ventilation doesn’t work, you can always install an AC or an air handler. This is an alternative method to using attic ventilation fans. The AC or air handler will do the same job, but it will cost a little more money for you. It will also increase the overall electricity bill.
Air handlers and ACs use the air inside the house to create cool air and blow it out into the attic. They make sure that this cool air is spread not only inside the attic but also throughout the house.
Summary
Now that you know everything that there is to know about attic ventilation fans, we hope you can make a well-educated decision regarding them.
They are great for the environment, especially if you buy a solar-powered attic ventilation fan. They maintain the balance of temperature in the house long-term, and they also help reduce electricity bill costs.
Attic ventilation fans are now a necessity for every person who has an attic in their house. It’s better to have them installed from the beginning so you can reap all the benefits. We hope we’ve answered all your questions and that now you can easily buy your attic fan safely and smartly.